


Once in a Lifetime

by DragMeDownFuckMeUp



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Bottom Harry, Bottom Louis, But be aware it will be mentioned, Husbands, M/M, Mentions of Ziam, Minor Character Death, Top Harry, Top Louis, god I hate tagging it as that., husbands learning about each other, married at first sight au, stangers to lovers, strangers to husbands!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-22
Updated: 2018-11-22
Packaged: 2019-08-24 12:25:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16640072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragMeDownFuckMeUp/pseuds/DragMeDownFuckMeUp
Summary: “He’s an idiot!” Louis says with a smile “Like he is an actual idiot, he tells stupid jokes often and he always has a pun ready for pretty much any situation, he’s gentle and kind, he’s smart and he knows stupid facts that he will tell me randomly, like last night I woke up for the toilet at about half 3 in the morning and he told me that the average person spends 6 months of their life waiting for a red light to turn green,” Louis grins to himself at the memory.He thought he was sleep talking at first, then he turned around to face Louis as he climbed back into bed and he just said “Did you know,” then he yawned and Louis just thought he was asleep until he carried on “That the average person spends 6 months of their life waiting for a red light to turn green?” and honestly? No. No, he didn’t know that. He also didn’t know how the fuck he was supposed to reply to that, so he just smiled and snuggled back under the covers, only letting himself grin at just how cute he is once he had turned back around.“He’s a great guy and I'm glad that it's me that somehow got paired with him!”+++Or Both Harry and Louis sign up for Married at First Sight for different reasons!





	Once in a Lifetime

**Author's Note:**

> Before I start and get into it, Jay’s death is part of this story. I won't be writing about it specifically, like when she passed. Characters will talk about life after she is gone and then once she is gone they may look back on her time but I won't be writing about her actual passing. 
> 
> The story will obviously touch on some hard topics so please take that into account before you start to read this. I have also linked some charities at the bottom, the main one being Leukemia research, they personally helped me a lot when I needed them. If you can't spare anything to donate then don’t worry about it, but if you do and you want to, the link is at the bottom. 
> 
> This story is a work of fiction and while the characters may reflect actual people, the stories do not. 
> 
>  
> 
> Please enjoy and any comments, concerns or questions please just pass them along! 
> 
> Alsooooo, just so you know, I’ve never seen the show ha!! 
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you! 
> 
> To donate to Leukaemia Research just follow this link. People think that Leukaemia is a child cancer, and it does effect kids more than adults, but I wasn’t a child when I got ill and neither was Jay. Whatever you can donate (If you can donate) will help. 
> 
> https://www.leukaemiauk.org.uk/Appeal/donate-now 
> 
>  
> 
> Bloodwise is another charity close to the family and the fandom, once again give what you can and only if you can! 
> 
> https://bloodwise.org.uk/donate

**Once in a Lifetime – One Direction**

**_Now casting!_ **

**_MARRIED AT FIRST SIGHT_ **

**_Single and brave?_ **

**_Aged between 26-56?_ **

**_Live in the Manchester area?_ **

**_Exhausted all dating options?_**    
**_Ready to find the love of your life?_**

   
**_We want to hear from you!_**

The concept itself? Sure, it was flawed! But what in life wasn’t? Harry didn’t know what he wanted from life in the short term. He knew, that long term, he wanted to get married, have kids a cat and a happy life. He just didn’t know how to get there from a single standing point.

His boyfriends, in the past had told him he was too full on when he told them what he wanted on a first date. That was him though! He would rather put himself out there on the first date and look a twat, than be 3 years down the line and realise they’re both going in different directions.

Again. 

He’d been stung before, he was madly in love with the guy he thought he was going to spend his life with only to find that it was completely one sided and for the most part the love of his life had been fucking other people.

To say he was hurt didn’t really cover it.

So, when he sees the advert you would have to forgive him for being incredibly excited about it! It's not conventional and it sure as hell isn't what most people would call normal, but then again, neither is Harry.

So here he is, on the way to the studios for his first screen test. They will get him to fill out a form of his likes and dislikes to find the best match possible. It all seems simple when he thinks about it… his mum didn’t seem to think so. In fact, she had gone as far as to tell Harry she was heartbroken.

A tad dramatic. 

She wanted him to get the chance to find someone, to fall for them organically and marry them because he loves them. Not marry them and hope one day he could love him. He’s a romantic. She knows that, everyone knows that. So, this situation didn't really seem like Harry, it doesn’t really scream romance.

The studio was bare, he doesn’t know why but he was expecting them to dress it up a little. Make it at least  _feel_  a little romantic. Someone hands him a coffee in one hand and a questionnaire in the other. He feels a little flustered.

   
"now," a girl with blue hair says "We are going to ask you some questions on camera while you fill this in, is that ok?" He looks up at the lights and the camera and down at the sheet in his hand. 

This is it? This is how he picks out his future husband? A camera and a sheet? 

   
"Yeah, yeah I guess!" He says, throwing on a fake smile, he doesn’t want to be paired with someone miserable because he forgot to smile for his screen test. 

He scribbles his name on the top of the paper, his age and his date of birth. He thinks over every answer, like he has forgotten everything about himself.    


First question;  _what do you look for in a partner?_

If he knew the answer to that he probably wouldn’t be here, if he knew what it was he wanted without sounding like a mad man he would probably still be in a relationship with someone he hasn’t scared off.

   
It's not like he's always that intense, he just likes to know where he stands, nobody ever really got that. He isn't sure he can just write  _‘someone who gets me’_ when he isn't even sure he gets himself these days. 

_Sense of humou_ r. That’s what he writes. It's not detailed but he isn't sure it needs to be.

   
"So, Harry, can you name us 3 things you wouldn’t like in a partner?" She asks, to her credit she genuinely smiles at him, it’s a soft warming smile that makes him feel a little better about the whole thing. Maybe that’s why she does this job, she makes people feel comfortable enough to spill their guts to her and she can get it all on camera. 

   
"Someone who doesn’t have a sense of humour is probably the main one," He says holding up his sheet to point to his first written answer, "I make a lot of shit jokes and I need to know he will at least pretend they're funny, so if he can't fake laugh, he won't do!" He laughs "I don’t really know? I just don’t want to end up with a 'No' man ya know? I want someone who is willing to try things, to come on adventures with me, someone to have fun with, so if he's the type of person who says no to all things without thinking about it then he isn't for me!" 

Harry has a habit of midnight adventurers. If he can't sleep or if it's been a long week and he needs to clear his head then he just drives. Gets in his car, picks a direction and off he goes. He doesn’t really do anything once he is wherever he thinks he needs to be. Most of the time he finds a coffee shop at a petrol station and he will just and sit, think about life. Would be nicer if he had someone to do that with, to find weird and wonderful places, dull coffee shops or abandoned beaches with. 

His next question on the sheet asks him if he's a virgin. He scoffs as he ticks the 'no' box. The girl behind the camera smirks at him. He can't help but blush. Once he had come out to his family he had a bit of a wild period, from 17-20 he had  _a lot_ of fun. Always safe fun though, he isn't an idiot – no matter what his friends tell him. 

It gets better, he feels more comfortable and by the end of it he's cracking jokes and making everyone laugh. It’s a shame he's gay because Charlie, the girl behind the camera, would so be his type. And she laughs at everything he says... then he thinks about her hands and how soft and small there are and remembers he likes the complete opposite.

“Now Harry, last question,” She asks as he ticks ‘No’ to ‘Does age matter?’ he ticked no and now he’s regretting it. What if he ends up with a 56-year-old. Oh god he should have ticked yes “We know that looks aren't everything, but if you had to go for aesthetic only, what 3 things do you look for?”

He hates this question. Hates it. He isn't shallow he really isn't, he’s been with all types of men but he's only ever been attached to a certain type, ones with pretty eyes and a nice smile, maybe a tad shorter than him but stronger. Bigger thighs, stronger arms. He loves a good arse too, what can he say? 

“I'd say nice smile, nice eyes and a good arse!” She bursts out laughing as he does, sure he could have said something else, something pretentious and meaningful, but hey, he’s being truthful!

And that’s it. That’s the end. He has just landed himself a husband without even realising it, like all his answers have just potentially scored him the love of his life... or his first divorce, one of the two. 

He crosses his fingers for the first. 

 

 

+++

“You can't be serious?” She spins on the spot and she looks furious

“Lots...” He sighs

“No, no Louis, tell me you're joking!” She says, she knows he isn't though, she can tell

“Mum wants to-”

“Mum?” She cuts him off “You really think you're in the best position to tell me what mum wants? Mum thinks it's what you want and you know that! You can't keep all the promises you made to her Lou, I'm sorry but it's true and now? Now you're just going to ruin your life with,” She snatches the paper out of his hands “Harry fucking Styles? That’s his name? God Lou this is so wrong!” 

The letter had come in the post the day before. His match. The details, minimum details, about his new husband, age, height, name... The crap that Louis didn’t need to know. All on there for him. 

“I can keep this one!” He says snatching the letter back “I can keep at least one promise and that’s what I'm going to do! I didn’t come for your approval Charlotte, I just came to tell you!” He hasn’t called her Charlotte in a long time and you can tell by her face she doesn’t like it

“Louis,” she sighs at him “Think about this. It's your life you know? You whole life is about to change because of this!” 

“It was going to change anyway, you know that the second mum goes this is all going to change! If I can give her one thing, one little bit of peace I'm going to do it!” 

   
“So this is for her? All for mum? And not because you are too afraid to go out and live your life?” 

   
“Like I said, not here for your approval! The wedding is in two weeks and I would like you to be there,” 2 weeks. He will be married in two weeks.

“I’m sorry, I won't be, really sorry Lou but it's just not right!” She shrugs.

He nods at her, pursing his lips before storming out. He doesn’t cry. He won't let himself cry. He’s stronger than that. It's fine, if she doesn’t want to be there, the others will be, his mum will be. It's fine. He is getting married and his sister won't be there, but it's fine.

+++

He had been running around like a headless chicken all day, Gemma was around somewhere, trying her hardest to help him but if he's honest, she is making things worse. 

   
The show puts on the wedding, they organise everything after meeting with both of the grooms and they have the option to go and see it the day before in case they are really against it. He had heard that Louis, his soon to be husband, had decided against it. He, on the other hand, needed to.

Yes, it might be a TV show, and as his mum has told him time and time again, it's probably going to end badly, it doesn’t matter. It's still his wedding day and he's still going to make the most of it. No matter how odd it may seem to other people.

The place is beautiful and, in all honesty, he doesn’t need to do anything. It's just... it's not him.

   
For example? The white tables have huge centre pieces that have feathers sticking up out if the top in gold and silver colours and it's just... it’s a bit tacky? He doesn’t know how to explain it, it feels like a 16th birthday party rather than a wedding, rather than his wedding. It had always been different in his head. 

Ok so it isn't as beautiful as he first said it was, its everything he doesn’t want. He wonders what Louis is going to think, does he even care about things like this? He is guessing the answer is no, seeing as he isn't here. 

“What are you thinking?” Gemma asks, as she sits herself down next to him 

“Maybe mums right,” He shrugs “Look at this place, does this look like my wedding reception to you?” He asks her

“No, it doesn’t, doesn’t mean mum is right though!” 

“You agree with her though,” He laughs

   
“I agree that I don’t think this is the best thing for you, I don’t agree with her keep saying it, you have made your mind up and if you're happy, then I’m happy!” She rests her head on his shoulder as the words sink in 

“I’m not happy with this room!” He sighs, unsure if that’s what he’s really not happy with

   
“Tell me what you need and I will fix it!”

So he does, he goes into full detail about how he wants it. He wants it soft and delicate, little tea lights and candles with a few flowers as centre pieces, the white covers over the chairs being spruced up a little, maybe with a fabric bow wrapped around them, cute little pink flowers, he wants soft and pretty “But not in a tacky way!” He tells her, she just smiles and nods at him. 

“So, you want some sort of Pinterest barn wedding?” She asks and he rolls his eyes 

   
“No, that’s not what I'm saying!” Although maybe he is

“I’m joking, I've got it! You go home, or go and meet Niall, whatever Grooms do on their last night of freedom!” That’s when it all seems real. Last night of freedom.

It's not like he's going to go out and have a threesome or some shit, but he thinks that maybe he should. Maybe it should be more, something a little more than a pint in the pub with his mate. 

   
“The next time you see me, it will be my wedding day!” He mumbles as she stands up, stretching out her hand to help pull him up 

“You're going to make the most handsome of grooms, you know that right?” She tells him. 

He loved his mum, he would do anything for her and he knows she would move heaven and earth for him. With Gemma it was different, they had a different connection. When their parents were going through the divorce, for a while, they felt like they only had each other. They would read together or stand on their beds and sing from the top of their lungs like they were on a stage, she would sneak his mums shoes out for him to parade around in, she never made it weird. Their parents were always there for them, but they were kids and sometimes it was too much, the arguments or the fights. They hid away from the truth together, so she has always been able to read him a little better than anyone else, his mum included. 

“it’s going to be ok Haz, you deserve to be happy and if this is the start of your happily ever after then wonderful, if it's not? Then you move on, but at least you don’t spend your life wondering what if!”

He can't think of anything else to say, mainly because he is terrified. So, he just nods as she pulls him in for a hug. God, he is going to cry. 

+++

  
   
“So, Harry,” Charlie says “Tell us how you're feeling!”

He has to do these interviews sporadically throughout his time and it’s not that he doesn’t want to, it’s just that he forgot about this bit. He forgot about laying himself bare and letting someone know his every thought because that’s him. He has this inability to hold in what he’s thinking, if it’s there in his head it’s coming out of his mouth before he even realises it.

“How I'm feeling?” He asks, blowing out a breath he feels like he's been holding forever “I don’t even really know to tell you the truth! It’s all a lot!”

“Nervous? Scared? Excited?” She asks, he hates these. Like, he gets that it’s a TV show. He gets that he is part of it, he just doesn’t want to do this bit, he just wants tomorrow to be here and he wants the cameras to be gone.

   
“Terrified!” He admits

   
“What do you think your mum is thinking?”

“Probably about how much of an idiot I am,” He pulls at his bottom lip as he stares into the camera “She isn't a fan of the show,” he shrugs

   
“Does that bother you?” She asks him and he shrugs again, what the fuck does she want him to say? Obviously, it fucking bothers him! She’s his mum, she’s been there all his life, she’s never acted like this, no matter what it is he’s done. She’s always trusted his instinct and gone with him.

   
“She’s my mum, I care about what she thinks!” 

   
“What about your dad?” she adds

“my dad has only just got his head around the fact that I’m gay, the fact that I'm marrying a stranger is probably not his idea of normal.” the truth is, he doesn’t know what his dad thinks. He hated his mum's reaction and he just couldn’t handle going through all that again with his dad. 

   
He had told him one day over lunch, told him he wasn’t asking for his opinion or his blessing, he was just telling him that it was going to happen. Gemma told him he had been a little harsh, he just isn't sure he cares. He had been told over and over by that point, that it was a bad idea and he was just sick of people telling him how to handle his life. 

“I’m getting married in the morning and for as excited as I am, I am also terrified. I’m grateful that my parents will be there because I love them and I wouldn’t want to do it without them, but if I had to, I would. My new life starts tomorrow!” He smiles, its fake and he doesn’t care. He just wants to go.

 

+++

 

“I still can't believe this,” Zayn says as he slides the pint over to Louis. 

The one good thing to come out of all of this is that he hasn’t paid for a drink all night long.

   
“Like I expected you to pull out by now! I mean, I’m glad you haven't,” Liam sits next to Zayn and Louis can't help but feel a little jeaLous. He knows that no matter who he marries he is never going to have that, to have what Zayn and Liam have. He’s never met anyone with a connection like theirs, or had been like that since they met and he hadn’t really looked at their relationship in any sort of way until he got into this. They’re comfortable with each other, it’s easy for them and Louis is a little more than jealous.

“why are you glad?” He asks as he takes his first sip of the pint 

“It's a win-win situation, right? You get yourself a hot husband? You get a hot husband!! Then if it goes bad then I get my pal back!” He slaps him on the back “Honestly though Lou, i’m proud of you for going through with this, I know it’s a lot, I know it's taken a lot to get here but I know that your mum is looking forward to it!” 

“What if he’s the worst person in the world?” Louis groans into his pint, he’s been thinking about this since he signed up. What if he gets an absolute bellend? What does he do then?

   
“He cant be that bad,” Liam says, “They pair you up based on your answers to the quiz thing right? So it cant be that bad, what did you say his name was? We can find him on Facebook!” Liam grins, taking out his phone. 

Louis doesn’t tell him that there is no point, he has look on Facebook and he can't find a ‘Harry Styles’ that fits the details he has been given, he just hands Liam the letter with Harry’s information on.

He watches the two of them scroll over the list of Harry Style’s in the world as they shout out “Ooh what if its him?!” Louis has to point out every time that the person they have clicked on isn't even from England, let alone Manchester. He isn’t sure what he would do if they did find him.

“Are you not curious?” Liam asks, once they get to the end of their pointless search 

“I will find out tomorrow, so no, not really,” He lies. He needs to know, he feels itchy with anticipation

“What do you reckon he is doing right now? I mean we could go on a pub crawl, if he is from Manchester, someone has got know him right?? I mean Harry Styles is a pretty rockstar name, someone has to know him!” Louis just rolls his eyes, it's going to be a long night.

+++ 

“And another!” Niall shouts as he slides over the shot glass to Harry who is already shaking his head 

“You are aware I’m getting married in the morning right? Are you trying to kill me before then? Is that your plan, did my mum send you?” He asks and Niall nods

   
“You bet your arse she did!” He grins and it’s a joke. To Niall, it’s a joke, the same as everything else. Harry is sure he doesn’t even really understand what the fuck is about to happen. He feels himself go a little dizzy as he rests his head back on the seats.

“I can't drink anymore,” He mumbles, he feels a little out of it 

“Come on mate, it’s your last night of freedom!” 

   
“I wish people would stop saying that!” He argues back “You're saying it like this is it, this is the end of my life!” 

“It sort of is,” Niall says, his voice is softer his time “Things change after tonight H!” He shrugs and there is something so un-Niall like about it 

“Nothing is going to change you idiot!”

“No? Harry, you're moving in with your husband, you're going to be coupley things, you think you're going to have time for marathon Game of Throne nights? Or darts nights even though neither of us can play darts? Mate, you're not going to have as much free time and it's not like I don’t get it, or wasn't expecting it, I just thought I'd get a bit more notice ya know,” He laughs but Harry can tell he doesn't find it funny 

“Ni, you're my best mate! I’m always going to have time for shit pubs and Netflix binges with you!” And he means it. Niall has been there from the beginning, he’s like the brother he always wanted.

   
“And you're my best mate, I've known you forever! Not everyone gets me, I’m a bit much at times,” 

   
“You? quiet, shy, retiring Niall? Never!” Harry mocks but Niall doesn’t even laugh

“Not everyone gets me H and if your husband doesn't like me? Well there is fuck all I can do,” Harry sits up a little straighter. He hadn't thought about this. About Louis fitting into his life and him into his. He didn’t think about the friends and family that come along with a marriage. 

“If he’s marrying me, then he’s marrying you too! I’m sure he is going to have mates too and if he doesn’t like you, which by the way is impossible, you might be Loud and very in your face but I have never met a person you couldn’t win over, but if he doesn’t, then it's his problem! Niall, you're not going anywhere, whether Louis likes you or not!” 

“i fucking love you man!” Niall says, pulling him in quickly for a hug. Harry knows they have had too much to drink when the tears start, but what can he say? He loves his mates!

+++

  
“And are you worried you have made a mistake?” Charlie asks him, she is grinning as she does, like she knows he is seconds away from rolling his eyes. How is he supposed to answer that honestly.

   
“I don’t know, should I be?” He laughs “You know who I am marrying right, you have met Harry Styles, you tell me, have I made a mistake?” She grins a little harder and he hopes that it’s a good thing, he hopes that she doesn’t just get a kick out of making people feel like shit.

   
“You will have to wait and see,” She raises her eyebrows at him and once again, he just hopes it’s a good thing!! “In your first interview, you said that you wanted someone who had a sense of adventure, now you have had time to think about it, now you're seconds away from actually getting married, is that still the most important thing for you?”

   
“one of them!” He admits “I didn’t have time to think about my answers last time and I'm sure that’s the point, but I do want someone who is similar to me. Similar but not the same, I think I'd get bored if we were the exact same!”

   
“Before I leave you to get ready, can I ask what you are thinking, I want brutal honesty!” She says and she can't be serious. He may not know,  _know_  her, but he has known her well enough that she should know that asking him to be honest on camera is never going to end well. 

“I think that in 2 hours my life is going to be completely changed and I'm not sure how I am supposed to handle it, I don’t know how it's supposed to go,” He shrugs “I get to spend my life with someone I haven't even met yet and it scares me a bit, I just hope he doesn’t kill me!” He grins as he holds his crossed fingers up 

“I can promise you that Harry doesn’t seem like a murderer!” She smiles

“A good murdered never seems like a murderer though, that’s their whole appeal, right?” 

“That's very true, well if you do get killed, I promise to let the police know that it was probably your new husband,” She laughs “Don't worry, we will cut that bit!” He laughs with her as they say their goodbyes and its fine, its all fine. 

Only it isn't. What if harry  _is_  awful. What if he hates Louis, what if he  _does_  kill him. He isn't sure he wants to die just yet, especially at the hands of someone he doesn’t even know. 

He was supposed to be nervous right? That’s normal. It’s fine to be jittery and a little scared. It’s normal to feel your heart pounding through your whole body. It is. He’s getting married, it’s normal. It’s all normal! 

“You ready babe?” He smiles before he turns around he isn’t ready. He’s not sure he could ever be ready. He can’t tell his mum that though can he. In the simplest of ways, he’s doing this for her. No matter what Lottie thinks.

“Of course I am!” He shrugs “I was born ready!” He says with a laugh 

“God you look so handsome! Honestly how did i make someone so wonderful?” He can see she’s been crying as she gets closer, smoothing her hands down the front of his suit 

She looks tired. Sad and tired. He knows today is going to take it out of her. It's going to kill him to watch it. 

“Oh come off it! You’re beautiful, you know exactly where we all get our wild good looks from,” he says pulling her into his chest “is Lottie here? Or is she still being stubborn?” He asks her quietly 

“She’s not here yet, she will be though. She will Lou, I promise” he nods, not able to talk. He never pictured this, his sister not being here. He gets it though, if it was him he wouldn’t let her do it. He would have put a stop to it before it even began.

He looks at him mum again. The one constant from his life, his mum. No matter how much his life changed, how much their family changed, they always had each other. They still do... for the next few months at least. 

"Are you sure you want to do this love?" the silence that falls upon the room is somehow deafening

 It's the first time she has actually asked him. He knows that she has always been the parent that doesn't question the choices of her kids. Its backfired so many times, but she would be there to pick up the pieces. She always wanted to make their own mistakes. 

She thinks this is a mistake.

"Yeah, I mean I've had no luck finding myself a man, right? Maybe a bunch of strangers who don’t really know me could do better?" He is joking, kind of. She just pulls him in for a hug

   
"this could be so good for you!" She tells him, he just wishes he could believe her.

   
There is a knock at the door, this is it. Its time. 

   
The door opens and its Lottie. His mum can’t stop the tears from coming now. Both Lottie and Louis roll their eyes at her "Sorry, I couldn’t help but make this day about me!" She tells Louis with a small smile.

   
She doesn’t get it, not really. He is glad she could be here though. He nods at her as she slides her arm into her mums and walk alongside him. 

The had asked what song he wanted to be playing and he couldn’t choose. He couldn’t pick a song for a wedding to someone he didn’t know. So, he left it up to his husband to be. The soft chords start as he walks towards the aisle, all eyes on his as he starts to walk down.

He sees family and friends he knows, smiling at him, snapping pictures on one side and on the other faces of people he doesn’t know. They smile at him and some snap pictures too, he feels his chest tighten.

The figure at the bottom doesn’t turn around, Louis can see he is tall, broad shoulders and short brown hair. From the back, he is his type. God, he’s clutching at straws here if he’s telling himself he’s attracted to someone’s back just to get himself down the aisle.

His mum is crying again as the words to 'You Look Wonderful Tonight' start. 

He could run, he still has time to run. Lottie squeezes his hand as if she senses it, senses his apprehension. He looks over at her "You got this, its ok," She whispers and it kills him. He knows how much of a bad idea she thinks this is, yet she is still her with him. 

His mum and Lottie kiss him once on the cheek as they reach the bottom, he stands next to him. Next to Harry, his soon to be husband and the first thing he notices is that he smells good. That’s a plus. 

He glances over once and his heart stops. It stops for about 5 seconds before it starts pounding hard enough to leap out of his chest. 

The bright green eyes on the boy next to him sparkle a little as he smiles over at Louis. 

   
The weird thing is, it doesn’t feel weird. 

He smiles back at him before laughing. Luckily Harry laughs with him as they both turn to the front of the church. He is gorgeous. Louis wasn’t expecting that. He thought that someone who was using a show like this to find a husband must have something wrong with them, maybe dodgy hair or teeth. Maybe he would be old.

   
He wasn’t though. He was gorgeous and he was about to become Louis’ husband.

Christ that was a scary thought. Zayn pats him on the back as if to let him know that he is still there and Louis honestly needs it. Harry smiles at him once more.

   
“God, do I need a drink!” Louis tells him, he doesn’t say anything, he just nods and grins, dimple popping out on his chin and Louis is all but hooked!

+++

The whole day had flashed by before he even had chance to realise it. The ceremony was lovely, it felt nothing like reality, but it was lovely. Was it everything he dreamed? He isn't even sure. He can't remember anything that he imagined about his wedding before today.

He had started his day by faking his smiles, family and friends had been asking how he was feeling and he just had to fake smile while he fought back his nerves. Somewhere along the way the smiles stopped being faked and he isn't even sure when it happened. His nerves had turned into excitement and he can't even put it down to the champagne, he had only had one glass!

His mum had been side eyeing him all day, not once had she actually expressed out loud how unhappy she was with the whole situation, not in front of them, but he knew even if she was doing her best ‘mum’ face, you know the one, she grins and laughs in all the right places but you know she is hating it under his breath, like his first every rugby game. What a day that had been.

Gemma had been great, constantly taking time to make sure he was ok, she would just double thumbs up him and grin and even though he felt like a child, he was extremely grateful for her. 

Both her and his mum had been so nice to Louis though, he had seen them all talking a few times and he seemed to be charming the pants off them, both of them laughing at whatever it was that Louis was telling them. 

And Louis.

God, where does he start with Louis? He is nothing like he is expecting and that’s a good thing. He’s beautiful and Harry just can’t get over  _how_  beautiful he is. He’s funny too. They haven’t really spoken much, every time they have, Louis has made him laugh.

They managed to grab a few words after the ceremony, Louis made a joke about how uneasy he had been feeling and how he needed a drink. Harry tried not to take it seriously because he felt the same way!

He watches his mum talking to Louis mum, she looks like she’s actually being genuine with her and he must thank Gemma for that later, he’s guessing it’s down to her that’s she’s been being nice to everyone for the past hour. 

“Mr Tomlinson-Styles!” A voice he doesn’t recognise says from behind him. He turns to see Zayn. They had been quickly been introduced earlier, they didn’t have time to talk though. He had been grateful for that, he was bricking it. 

He was Louis best mate, he was to Louis as Niall was to him and that was scary.

“That gets weirder every time I hear it,” he mumbles as he swallows the rest of the drink in his glass “like I can promise you now, I’m going to forget that it’s my name for so long!” 

“As long as you don’t forget he’s your husband, I’m sure he won’t mind!” Zayn tells him “look Harry,” he says with a sigh and here we go.

This is where he tells Harry he doesn’t approve and blah, blah, blah. He’ll have to send him over to talk to his mum, they will get along swimmingly. 

“I love Louis, he’s the best person in the world. He would do anything for anyone and the world sort of has a way of fucking him over every time things start looking up,”

“I don’t…”

“Just look after him ok? He’s going to need it more than you realise right now!” And ok, that’s not the first time someone has said something along those lines, something about Louis needing him 

“There you are!” His husband says. His  _husband_ , Says.

“I was just giving Tomlinson-Styles here the full brotherly warning!” Zayn says with a slap across Harry’s back. He’s really not going to get used to that name.

“Yeah Niall Just collared me,” Louis laughs and Harry can’t help but groan “he has a very colourful vocabulary, doesn’t he?”

“He does, he’s harmless though, I swear!” He needs Louis and Niall to get on. He needs that more than  _he_ needs to get on with Louis. 

“Nah it was fine, we ended up doing shots and he has invited me to play football with him!” Louis tells him 

“You’re joking? He never lets me play!” Harry pouts, it’s then he realises that Zayn has slipped away 

“What can I say? I’ve become your dads favourite and now Niall’s! I’m making my way through the family!” Harry can’t get over how good he looks, how easy he is, how wonderfully charming he seems, it all feels a little surreal. He wonders if he is dreaming. 

Maybe he is going to wake up any second and go to his  _actual_ wedding with someone not nearly as nice as Louis. 

“Good, now I don’t feel as bad for all your siblings telling me I’m their new favourite!” It’s not even a lie. They had taken to him the second they had met “well, most of them! Lottie seems like a tough nut to crack,” 

“Yeah,” he looks down at his feet like he’s stopping himself from saying something he doesn’t actually want to “listen, the DJ suggested that we should do our first dance and I know this isn’t conventional and all that so if you don’t want to just let me know and I swear it’s fine!”

Harry has seen the show before. He has seen people get married and automatically slip into married life. Louis and Harry still look like strangers who are just flirting their way through the day. Somehow it doesn’t feel like they are married. It just feels... new, maybe? Yeah, new.

“As much as I’m going to hate everyone staring at me, I guess we did sign up for this,” he laughs “Mr Tomlinson-Styles, would you care to join me?” He asks with his hand out 

“That’s so fucking weird,” he laughs but he takes Harry’s hand, signalling to someone with his other hand “Tomlinson-Styles!” He repeats 

Harry pulls him towards the dance floor as the lighting changes, the multi-coloured lights that flood the floor change, a soft blue and a soft green replace them.

“Extinguished guests, please be upstanding for your Grooms, Mr & Mr Tomlinson-Styles!” The DJ says into his microphone. He feels every pair of eyes follow them to the dance floor, he watches as multiple people pull their phone out as Neil Young – Harvest Moon starts to play.

He pulls Louis a little closer as they slowly dance, arms around each other and suddenly, nothing else matters. He doesn’t care who is watching or what his mum thinks. It feels right.

“I love this song,” Harry whispers like he’s scared of talking and ruining the moment 

“They needed a song and I still don’t know that much about you but, I don’t know… ‘when we were strangers, I watched you from afar’ seems to fit quite well!” He laughs, his head falling against Harry’s chest 

“I wana celebrate, see it shining in your eyes,” Harry sings “because I’m still in love with you, I wana see you dance again, because I’m still in love with you, on this harvest moon” neither of them says anything else as the song plays out around them.

It’s weirdly emotional. He feels himself holding back the tears. It feels like there is nobody else in the room but then and it’s weird. It’s so fucking weird because he’s knows Louis all of what? 12 hours?

“Tomlinson-Styles,” Louis says once more as the song starts to fade “I think it fits!” And it does.

God does it fit. 

+++

“What was the first thing you thought when you saw Harry?” Charlie asks Louis

He can't help but grin down at the floor. He doesn’t even know where to start. It was just so much. So much that he hadn't been expecting. 

   
“Jackpot?” Louis asks with a laugh “Nah, I thought he looked incredible, he made me feel at ease right away which was massive because I was bricking it!” 

“Your mum looked happy!” he hadn't said on camera why he was doing it. He had never told the production team because he didn’t want it to become a ‘thing’ but he knew that Charlie knew something wasn’t right. Not that she would ever say anything. 

   
“Yeah, yeah she is!” He can't help but smile “I think she's just happy that I’m not her problem anymore!” He laughs 

“Would you change anything about the day?” He is shaking his head before she has even finished the question 

   
“I mean, I didn’t really have much to do with the wedding itself and from what I heard, Harry did? So, no, he seemed to like it? And I thought it was perfect, so no, no I wouldn’t change a single thing!”

   
“And lastly, how does it feel to be a Tomlinson-Styles?” She asks with a grin 

“When I was in school, kids with double barrelled names were posh,” he laughs “and my husband is from Cheshire,” He points out “so I feel very posh!” 

“Thank you for letting us be part of your day and good luck with your happily ever after!” Louis thanks her and the camera man, before he leaves. 

He knows that in a week and then again in a few months they will want to speak to them again, they will check up on them in a year or so before the show is aired, but apart from that. They are on their own. 

In a year, the show will be aired. Will they still be together? He catches a glimpse of Harry on the dancefloor, Daisy and Phoebe pulling at his arms to dance with him. 

   
Will they still be together? 

He thinks that maybe they will.

+++

Their home was lovely. Just like the wedding though, he hadn’t seen much. They had bought a house together without ever meeting and it’s honestly the weirdest thing about it all. The show paid for all their furniture and once again he didn’t really have much of a say. He isn’t even sure if Harry did.

It’s nice though, everything fits and flows. It’s subtle, nothing is too much and there is still so much space for them to make it their own, to add their own little things that will make it brighter, more of a home than a house. By tomorrow there is going to be cupboards and wardrobes with his stuff sitting alongside Harry’s. 

The first thing he realised was that the spare bedroom has been made up and he doesn’t know if he is supposed to suggest staying there or the master bedroom. 

He looks at the bed, the huge mahogany sleigh bed, soft white bedding with grey throw pillows scattered over it and a fluffy blanket over the bottom. It looks like something out of a Christmas film and he loves it. Then it dawns on him.

Louis didn’t know how to approach this. Sure, it was the ‘marital bed’ they were supposed to share it. They were married. Harry was his husband.

He had a husband.

A tall husband with wild green eyes and soft brown hair that fell onto his shoulders. He was pretty, Louis would go for him on a night out. He’d give him his best moves, maybe take him home with him and wreck him.

But he’s his _husband_. 

A husband that he has to share the perfect bed with. 

He doesn’t even know the stupid things, does he like tea? Is he a top or bottom? God. 

He stares down at the bed, hands on his hips and squinting down at the bed like he’s really confused.

“I’m guessing you’re thinking the same as me?” The voice says, breaking him out of his head. It’s his husband.

His  _husband_. He doesn’t ever see himself being at a point where this isn't weird for him.

“Yeah I just,” He turns to Harry, unable to keep his eyes from drifting down his body. He’s only wearing his boxers. Torso covered in tattoos... so many tattoos. He’s slightly tanned and tort. He definitely works out “oh… erm…” he moves his eyes back up to Harry who looks scared for a second 

“Is this ok? I mean I normally sleep naked, but like I didn’t think that was a good idea because... well because I don’t really know you and I know we are married, fuck we are married! I have a husband! Who I’m supposed to share a bed with,” he rambles and if it’s possible he looks cuter than he had when Louis first saw him? 

“Hey, it’s ok!” He says walking a little closer trying to get him to calm down “it’s ok” he says softly, hands on his arms “I’ll take the spare bed, you have at it! That way you can sleep naked,” he doesn’t know why he’s saying it. Ask anyone, if there is an option for a comfier bed, Louis is taking it. He just didn’t want to think about Harry being uncomfortable.

“No, Lou it’s ok! We have to do this at some point right? I don’t want you to take the spare bed,” he called him Lou. He called him Lou and said he wanted to share the bed with him. Of sorts. He didn’t concentrate on much else after that.

“Are you sure? I really don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” he tells him 

“Yeah, sharing a bed with a hot guy is going to be a real stretch for me!” he says smiling, a smile that’s a half smirk 

“You think I’m hot?” Louis asks as Harry pushes passed him into the room 

“Should I not have said that? Do you want the left or right?” Harry asks pointing at the bed 

“I don’t have a side… you pick!” He offers, he does have a side. He doesn’t want to tell Harry that though “no you can say what you like I just… I didn’t know if you did,” 

“Are you joking? You’re crazy hot! That’s the first thing I noticed, does that make me shallow?” Harry asks as he slides into the right side of the bed 

Louis always sleeps on the left side of the bed. He smiles to himself as he walks around to his side. Next to his husband.

“Not shallow,” He laughs “not shallow at all! Good to know though!”

He lays on his back, hands across his chest and it’s weird. He doesn’t know how to be. This is his wedding night. It should be… well they shouldn’t be lay side by side in a darkened room.

“Can I ask you some questions?” Harry asks as he turns into his side, one hand under his head as he looks at Louis

“Sure, ask away” he gives himself another glance at the boy lay beside him 

“Ok, why’d you do it? I mean aside from the fact you’re attractive you seem nice, right? So why?” He asks, his voice is low – it’s only now Louis realised how deep it actually is.

“It’s… well it’s a long story I guess?” He sighs, it’s not a long story not really “you saw my mum today yeah? Was sort of for her, I guess – in a way,”

“Your mums lovely by the way! She threw her arms around me and welcomed me to the family,” he says with a smile.

That’s his mum. That’s what she does.

“Yeah well… she’s not well,” he says, clearing his throat 

“I sort of thought so, didn’t say anything but I saw her line,” his mum had a central line in a while back now, treatment was easy to administer that way “what’s wrong?” 

God can he do this? Can he tell a guy he doesn’t even really know about it? He doesn’t think he’s actually even said it out Loud to anyone else.

“She has Leukaemia, it’s not, like she’s... well she’s dying,” He manages to get out “45 and 6 kids and she can’t stick around” he laughs like it’s funny, like he finds it funny.

“Fuck,” Harry mumbles, he sits up on his elbow looking at Louis “isn’t there like stuff they can do?”

“They tried, over and over and… she got tired ya know? The kids know she’s not well, they sort of understand, Doris and Ernie don’t get the bigger picture but the others do,” he can feel the tears threatening as he talks “we’d been talking one day and she said she was ok with it, she said she was just glad she didn’t have to fight anymore and that killed me ya know? I was selfish for such a long time wanting her to fight, needing her to fight to be there and I pushed her,”

“She fought so hard! Kicked and punched for so long that one day she just couldn’t, her body just gave way – took her to the hospital and they did that,” he looks up at Harry, he’s pulling at his bottom lip as he listens “you know when they do that soft condescending voice? Like “we’re so sorry” and we just knew, they said there was nothing else they could do and she just sort of sighed with relief,”

“After they had gone and it was just the two of us, she said the one thing she was going to miss was seeing us all grow up! Like the twins going to school and shit like that! She also said she wanted to see me be happy and get married! I couldn’t give her both of those things but somehow I was able to give her one of them,”

It’s quiet for a moment. He feels like he’s said too much. The tears are rolling slowly down his face. He clears his throat once more, trying to clear his head.

Harry doesn’t say anything, he just pulls Louis into him and wraps his arms round him. He doesn’t mean to, he really doesn’t but he can’t help the sob that escapes as he breaks down.

He’s known this man less than 24 hours, he’s married him and is now sobbing uncontrollably into his chest. 

What a difference a day makes.

For most people their wedding night is supposed to be filled with joy and here Louis is sobbing into his husband's chest. He feels a little lighter though, when he finally manages to pull away with a small laugh.

   
"Fuck sake, I'm sorry! I don’t know what come over me," He says with another small laugh

   
"Don’t be sorry, its fine! You can talk to me any time, I'm a pretty good listener," Harry tells him with a grin 

   
"How are you... like why are you doing this?" Louis asks, genuinely confused

"I didn’t know where my life was going, the thought of never finding someone to settle down with actually gave me anxiety. I saw this... and well you know the rest," 

“What does your family think of it?” He asks and Harry pauses, he doesn’t say anything at first, just pulls Louis a little closer 

“Well,” he laughs “my mum is an old romantic so this wasn’t really what she saw from me!” Louis feels like there is more, like he wants to say more, but he doesn't so Louis doesn't push him he just lets Harry hold him.

It's their wedding night and his husband is holding him while he cries... it's probably not the best sign of things to come.

 

+++

 

They had been married a whole week and honestly, Harry feels as though his feet haven't touched the ground. They have been so busy with trying to get everything moved into the house properly as well as trying to figure each other out and it's been a lot. 

The first two days he was pretty sure he had made a mistake, Louis hadn't really said much else to him after he told him about his mum. He seemed quiet and shy, nothing like the guy he had been in the first hours of their marriage. He supposes that it's just an adjustment for the pair of them.

Today is the day that they both meet back up with Charlie and the casting team for their first week interview and if he’s being honest with himself, he’s shiting it. 

“Do you want to drive or me?” Louis asks, he’s sat on the end of the bed with one sock on, one off.

“I can drive if you like?” 

“please, I'm so tired I'd probably kill us both!” He falls back onto the bed, the remaining sock still in his hand as he groans “Why does it have to be so early? It's not like its live!” 

“It's half 9 Lou, it's not really early!” Harry laughs as he takes the sock off him, sitting next to him “Give me your foot,” Louis hooks his foot over Harry’s thigh as he looks over at him 

“You know I'm not a child, right?” Louis asks with a smirk

“No? Why you letting me put your socks on then?” Harry counters 

“Because I can't multitask, I could either complain or put my socks on and clearly I chose complaining!” Louis says as he sits up on his elbows

Harry looks at him, he’s shirtless and grinning at him and its... maybe he can do this? Maybe he can get used to Louis being around like this. Maybe they can do this. He already knows little things about him, like small things. He only takes milk in his tea and every time someone asks if he wants sugar he will  _always_ answer with _“I'm sweet enough!”_ without a second thought. 

This isn't how he saw marriage. In his head though, it's like a Doris Day film and that’s never going to be realistic. 

“I hate socks!” Louis complains when Harry doesn’t answer 

“You really are going to complain a lot today then and that wasn’t a joke?” He laughs

“Obviously, if there is one thing you need to know about me is that my Nana calls me Victor Meldrew often!” Harry doesn’t believe that for one second.

“Yeah, I can see that,” He laughs as he offers him a hand to help him up “Now, can you put your shoes on or do I need to do that for you too?” Harry asks with a smirk. Louis just rolls his eyes.

   
“Come on, we are going to be late and I promise that if we are, I’m going to blame you!” Louis tells him, looking back at him over his shoulder. He’s grinning at Harry. 

   
That’s the first time his heart does the weird swooping thing. It's like it literally swoops down to his stomach and then back up to his chest. It's weird. It’s unexpected. It's nice. 

+++

He sits down in the chair, adjusting his shirt a little as someone turns the light on to him. Its bright, like he has to cover his eyes, bright. He rubs his eyes once, looking away from the heat of the light.

“think that might be a little too bright,” He hears Harry’s voice say from somewhere behind the camera and it take literally everything he has to stop himself from grinning. 

He put Louis’ sock on for him. It was something so small and so basic, so domesticated that Louis didn't even realise what was happening at first. It’s like Harry was comfortable with him, he just let him complain while he put his sock on and no, that’s not like a grand declaration of love but it felt like something, a single socked step in the right direction. 

And now, now he is here pointing out that the light is too bright and is pretty much just looking after him. Harry cares. That’s the first thing that Louis realised, he cares. A lot. He cares about people, about things, about feelings. He just  _cares_ and its nice. Sure, Louis has friends, nice friends. He loves Zayn and Liam... but there is just something so pure about Harry. Something he has never seen in another human before, it's almost magical. 

“Do you want me to leave while they do this?” Harry asks. Every other interview they have had, they did on their own and he isn't sure how is supposed to answer questions about Harry, honestly, while he is stood there looking at him like a fucking angel or some shit.

“Yeah, that way you can't hear me slag you off!” Louis says with a grin and a waggle of the eyebrows. Harry just rolls his eyes, but he nods.

The second the door closes Charlie turns to louis. She is grinning like she knows something that Louis doesn’t. 

“What?” He asks

   
“Nothing, nothing at all!” She laughs “Shall we crack on?” He adjusts his shirt once more before he nods “So you have officially been Louis Tomlinson-Styles for 7 days now, have you gotten used to it?” She asks

“No,” He laughs “Not even a little bit! I heard that’s normal though, even people who know each other before they get married take some time to get used to it!” 

“That’s very true I guess, is it how you thought it would be?” God, where the fuck does he start with that answer. 

“No,” He tells her, pursing his lips for a moment “But in a good way, like no offence to you or what you do, but this doesn’t seem like the start of something real right?” He is pretty sure it’s the first time he has said that out loud. The first time that he has actually admitted out loud that he didn’t think it would work.

Because he didn’t. That’s the truth. He thought, if they got through the first few weeks and things were steady that once his mum passed he would find it easy to walk about. That had been his plan at the start. The more he figures Harry out, the more time they spend together he isn't sure it's going to be that easy. 

   
He also isn't sure he wants it to be that easy.

“I thought it would be like a good social experiment I guess, I know that sounds bad. Especially since Harry didn’t know that’s what I was thinking,”

“Is that still how you see it? Is this still a social experiment, Louis?” Charlie asks

“No, no it isn't,” He admits

“What do you think it is now?”

“It's a marriage,” He nods “It's scary and new and I'm sure it's only to get crazier, but it’s a marriage and I'm happy. Harry is great, like I didn’t realise that someone like him could exist,” He can't help but laugh, feeling a blush ride up slowly onto his cheeks

“What's he like?” 

“He’s an idiot!” Louis says with a smile “Like he is an actual idiot, he tells stupid jokes often and he always a pun ready for pretty much any situation, he’s gentle and kind, he’s smart and he knows stupid facts that he will tell me randomly, like last night I woke up for the toilet at about half 3 in the morning and he told me that the average person spends 6 months of their life waiting for a red light to turn green,” Louis grins to himself at the memory.

He thought he was sleep talking at first, then he turned around to face Louis as he climbed back into bed and he just said “Did you know,” then he yawned and Louis just thought he was asleep until he carried on “That the average person spends 6 months of their life waiting for a red light to turn green?” and honestly? No. No, he didn’t know that. He also didn’t know how the fuck he was supposed to reply to that, so he just smiled and snuggled back under the covers, only letting himself grin at just how cute he is once he had turned back around. 

“He’s a great guy and I'm glad that it's me that somehow got paired with him!” 

   
“What do you think he will say about you?” she asks him

“I don’t know,” He says letting out a puff of air “I hope he doesn’t say he hates me,” He laughs “I don’t think he will, I think maybe we are in the same place? I don’t know though, I'm shit with talking about my feelings so we haven't really spoken about it or how weird it is, which is probably the wrong way to go about things, but hey,” He shrugs

“Last question and we will get Harry in, if you could go back a week and change things, would you?” 

“No, I feel like 7 days isn't enough time to be sure how things will go which also means it's not long enough to regret anything, the wedding was perfect, it's been... new, since then,” he laughs “I wouldn’t change a thing!” He says with a smile and she nods, grinning at him

He wonders if Harry will get the same questions. He wonders how he will answer them, maybe he should have let Harry sit in so that way he could have sat in his interview and heard his answers. 

+++ 

It's been two weeks and Harry has realised a lot of things about Louis, small things really. Louis is funny, like he doesn’t always mean to be but he is! He is patient, like if he has to explain something to Harry or tell him where something is, he is patient. He realises that they have a lot in common, music, films, food, ex’s... they spend most meal times together, talking and asking questions.

   
Harry cooks for them pretty much every night, Louis sits on the side with a glass of wine in one hand and a list of questions on his phone in the other.

   
“And how did you know it was what you wanted to do?” He asks Harry after he tells him all about his job as an English teacher 

“I didn’t! I left school and college not really knowing what I wanted to do! It was just a fluke, I guess! I love being around kids and I think I’m pretty good with them so it makes sense!” He shrugs as Louis nods at him over his glass

He has also realised how fucking attractive Louis is. Like, sure, he saw it the first time he saw him, he saw that he looked good. But Harry sees new things every day, like the way his cheek bones are naturally like  _that_! How strong his thighs are, how soft his skin is and how fucking blue his eyes are. He makes Harry very flustered, very regularly!

They haven't slept together yet and he is trying not to take it personally because he knows that this is a weird situation for them both... all he can think about is Louis not being attracted to him though. That's literally all that has been going through his head, he isn't sure how he is supposed to deal with that. 

“Yeah, you're great with the twins, so I can see how you’d be good with a class full! Do you want kids?” He asks and Harry tries not to think too much into it, but he hears ‘ _with me?’_  whether Louis says it or not.

“Yeah, have done since I was like 15,” He laughs “Is that weird?” He stops chopping the onion and leans back against the side, his own glass of wine now in his hand 

“Nah, I felt the same!” He shrugs “Ok, next question,” He says, moving on before Harry has a chance to press any further into that particular conversation “Are you a top of a bottom?” 

   
He doesn’t mean to do it, he really, really doesn’t, but he spits his wine out with a choke. Louis jumps down off the side to pat his back like he is actually choking and Harry feels his face flush. What a dick. 

He grabs some kitchen towel from the side, trying as best as he can to clean up the wine. What sort of idiots pick a white floor? The same sort of idiots that would spill red wine on it, he guesses. When he stands up, he spots Louis laughing. He can tell he is trying his hardest not to, but his face has started to go red as he chuckles 

“I’m glad it's funny that I almost died!” Harry says as he goes back to his pan, adding in his chopped onions 

   
“I wasn’t laughing at you choking, I was just laughing at  _why_  you choked!” Louis says poking him in the arm

“I just wasn’t expecting it! You caught me off guard,” He admits “To answer your question, I don’t have a preference, I like what I like. Depends on the mood,” He shrugs 

“wonderful answer!” He says as he jumps back onto the side “Cats or dogs?” he asks just like that, and Harry’s heart rate steadies as he finishes off the food. 

It happens like that for the next two weeks, Louis will jump on the side with his list of questions and somewhere in amongst them would be a sex related question. The night he asked “ _Spit or swallow?”_ was the night Harry is sure he was going to have a heart attack.

It doesn’t go much further than the questions though. He has been flirtier than he normally is, he has been touching Harry more, not in a sexual way, just soft ways, like he will do anything just to touch a little of his skin. 

Like now, Harry is teaching him how to make the curry he likes from scratch so Louis is peering over his shoulder with one hand clutched to his arm and it's just... it's nice. Maybe it's because he hasn’t had sex in a looooong time or maybe it's something else, but he could get used to it. It feels like they are moulding themselves together, intertwining themselves into each other's lives.

Louis added a few bits to the curry, which is why he is currently eating it with a smile on his face “I am so fucking good!” He proclaims as Harry rolls his eyes and sips his beers. Friday curry and beer night had become their first tradition and he was loving it 

“You added tomatoes and onions Lou, calm down!” 

“Excuse me, you told me that they were a circuital part!” He says pointing his beer towards Harry 

“And they are... just, you might need a few more lessons until you become Jamie Oliver is all I'm saying!” He raises his hands in defence 

Louis peels the label off his bottle as he grins to himself. All Harry can do is stare and listen to the way his heart beats inside his head. 

“Let's play a game!” Louis says “I’m going to get a bottle of wine, you're going to put some music on and we are going to get drunk!” He says with a grin and Harry feels terrified at the grin that’s on his face, but he smiles and nods anyway. It's fine, he can totally do this. 

+++

 

They were drunk. The warm, happy drunk you feel when you drink red wine. It was nice. They were sat on the sofa, wine glasses in hand while they giggled at each other. It’s the first time that either of them had felt 100% comfortable. It’s nice. 

“Explain the rules again please,” Harry pauses, bottom lip between his teeth “I know you told me but I forgot!" he giggles, like actually giggles 

“We have been playing for an hour!” Louis tells him with a laugh “Plus, the game is literally called two truths, one lie, what is it you're not getting?” 

“I think I'm drunk though Lou,” He feels warm and fuzzy as Louis smiles at him 

“Ok, i’ll go, again!” Harry moves himself a little closer, his thigh hooked over Louis like he wants every part of them to be touching “I married an absolute lightweight,” he says as he pokes his shoulder. Harry grabs the couch behind him to stop himself falling backwards 

“I have never been with a girl, i once won a talent contest dressed as Tina turner annnnnnd I fell out of a tree when I was 6 and broke my arm in three places!”

“Now I have to say what’s a lie, right?” Harry asks and Louis rolls his eyes

“Yes, sorry what have you been doing all along?” 

“Nothing, I was playing right, I think! Ok so, I know you broke your arm from falling out of a tree, your mum shown me the picture of you smacked off your tits in the hospital!” Harry grins as Louis groans 

“And I could totally see you as Tina turner, so I’m going to say you’ve never been with a girl! Am I right?” He asks 

“You are in fact correct Harold, Pontins 1999 1st place after doing Simply the Best in a wig and my mums skirt as a dress!” Harry wishes he could have seen pictures of that, he’s sure it will be the cutest thing he’s ever seen. 

“So you’ve always been a show off then?” 

“Yep! I had a million siblings young Harold, I grew up needing to be the centre of attention at all times!” Not for the first time Harry wishes he had met Louis a normal way, learnt all about him slowly rather than being thrown in the deep end “your go!” Louis tells him, bringing him out of his own head

“Ok, let’s see, when I had my first kiss it last forever because I didn’t know how to stop it, like I didn’t know what I was supposed to do, erm… I once read fan fiction about Matty from the 1975 where he was half mermaid, and I enjoyed it! And I fell off my bike  _after_ I had stabilisers put on!” He tells him with a grin 

“Ooh ok, right,” Louis says, moving himself a little closer, he feels like he stops breathing for a moment until Louis hand rests itself on top of his “Niall already told me about the kiss thing, you’re his best mate and I needed all the gossip so I interrogated him!”

“Heeeeyyyyy!” He whines

“What can I say?” He shrugs “you’re definitely the sort of clutz to fall off your bike after stabilisers so I will say that ones true too?” Louis asks

“That is correct! And I resent that remark!” He pouts

“So the 1975 mermaid thing is a lie? Good, because I really didn’t want to be worried about what kind of shit you’re into!” Louis laughs

“Oh…”

“H?” Louis sighs “are they all true?” He wants to tell him it’s his fault, the reason he temporarily forgot the rules was because he was so close to him and it made him feel a little foggy

“No?” He asks more than says

“You know it’s a good job you’re cute, right?” 

“You think I’m cute? That’s a win, maybe I’ll get things wrong all the time so you always think I’m cute!” He grins and Louis rolls his eyes at him

“I already do anyway!”

“Yeah?” He can feel the pace of his heart pick up a little and it’s like he can’t breathe for a moment 

“Yeah, I think a lot of things about you!”

“Oh yeah? Like what?” Harry asks “actually, don’t tell me… just kiss me?” 

His voice is quiet. He almost can’t believe she’s said it. He’s sure he wouldn’t have even believed he had until Louis leaned in a little.

He wasn’t sure what he was expecting from the first time of kissing his husband. The guy he has been married to for four weeks, but it was so much more than anything he could have imagined. Louis tastes like red wine and the cig he snuck out to have about half an hour ago. He tastes new and exciting and Harry needs more. 

+++ 

Harry’s mouth opened just enough for him to push a little further, his teeth dragging across his bottom lip before his tongue easing over the same spot. He feels him moan into the kiss, into his mouth and he knows he can’t stop now. He needs him, he needs him in a way he can’t explain. It’s more than just sex he wants, it’s Harry, it’s all of him. 

“Do you wana… like… bed?” Louis asks softly 

“Please,” he groans, already pulling himself up “want you so badly Lou!” 

“Yeah? How badly?” He asks as he lets Harry pull him towards the stairs 

“Remember the other morning when I couldn’t get out of bed? I said I was tired and made you go and have your shower anyway?” He says and Louis is confused 

“Yeah?”

“I had to have two wanks while you were in there,” he laughs as they reach their door “sleeping next to you and not touching you is killing me and I want you, no, I  _need_ you so fucking badly!” He can feel his heart beating against his chest, he didn’t know any of that. Didn’t know harry wanted him in the same way he wanted him. He hoped, sure! But he didn’t know.

“Why didn’t you say anything? I’d have stopped wanking alone in the shower weeks ago if you’d have asked!” He tells him as he pushes him back on the bed.

They’ve never done this before, never had sex with each other and while he’s had sex with other people, he’s never had sex with people like harry. He doesn’t know how he likes it, how to make him moan, take him to the edge and bring him back just in time. 

They have time though, they can learn. Take their time with each other, get comfortable.

“How do you want it? How’d you want me?” Louis asks as he straddles him, he can already feel how hard he is 

“Can I have you like this, please?” He asks quietly, his fingers digging into Louis waist 

“Yeah?” 

“Please,” Harry moans as he bucks up 

“You can have whatever the fuck you want baby,” he leans forward to kiss him once more, he tastes so familiar and it’s weird because it’s not like they’ve kissed properly before tonight? 

“Want you, please Lou! Really don’t think I’m going to last,” Harry laughs “it’s going to be over embarrassingly quick, I promise it’s not always like this!”

“Same,” Louis adds quickly! “You reckon you could come like this?” He grinds against Harry, their cocks kept apart by the fabric covering them be they can almost feel each other “let me rut against you like we are teenagers?” 

That must do something for Harry because he groans as he bites his lip

“Let me see you though, shirt off, cock out!” He tells him, already pulling at his shirt 

“I didn’t know you were the romantic type!” Louis tells him as he pulls his shirt off and moves his enough for him to pull his jeans off.

“I promise that next time I will romance the fuck out of you, but it’s been so long since I first saw you and I just…” He is struggling with his own jeans as he tries to talk.

He swats his hands away as he takes them off for him, he isn’t wearing underwear. Not that Louis is surprised. He’s seen his bare arse squeeze into just jeans many a morning. He’s never been this close those.

He’s big. And thick. And Louis’ mouth is watering “I am so torn right now,” he groans as he straddles harry once more 

“Why?” 

“I wana get off like this,” he tells him, both their cocks in his hand as he leans forward to kiss him “but I also want you in my mouth!” 

“Next time?” Harry asks eyebrow raised “we can make a list, put it on the fridge!” He laughs but Louis is pretty sure he’s being serious 

“Fuck yes,” he groans as he brings his hand up in front of Harry’s face “spit!” 

“That shouldn’t be that fucking hot,” he groans, Louis doesn’t say anything, just darts out his tongue to clean up the tiny bit that dripped onto his chin as he wraps his hand back around them both.

He starts slowly, he forehead pressed against Harry’s as he wanks them, Harry moans softly, he can tell he’s close, he closes his eyes as his mouth falls open and he can’t help but take that as his chance to kiss him again 

“Come for me babe, let me see how pretty you are when you come,” He looks down just in time to see Harry spill into his hand, squirting up against their chests “fuck look at you!” He groans

“Lou, Jesus Christ,” he moans, bucking up into Harry’s hand “shit,”

“so fucking hot!” He whispers, his voice warning a little as he feels himself get closer, his whole body feels fuzzy as he feels Harrys cock sliding against his 

“Come for me, come on Lou,” he groans “wana see you paint my chest,” and that’s it. That’s all it fucking takes.

“Fuck, fuc- -“ he moans, his forehead back resting against Harry’s as he pumps every last drop into his own hand, noises falling from his lips that he’s not even sure he understands. 

“Give me your hand,” Harry tells him, his voice no more than a whisper. He doesn’t understand at first, until he brings his hand up to Harry’s. He watches as he wraps his hand around his wrist as takes each finger into his mouth, sucking and licking off every bit of come that’s covering it.

“Jesus fucking Christ, your mouth is sinful!” 

“We taste good together!” He tells him with a shit eating grin 

“Oh yeah?” He asks, bringing their lips together, sucking lightly on his tongue “not bad!” 

They both laugh as he climbs off him, reaching for his shirt so he can clean them up a little before he actually moves to get a cloth. 

“You do realise that I’m not leaving you alone now right?” Harry asks, he’s grinning at Louis and if he didn’t know any better he would say it was a shy grin 

“Fucking hope not! We have spent way too much time not getting to know each other’s bodies! For example, I didn’t know just how big you are!” 

“I’m not that big!” Harry tells him “you’re exaggerating!” 

He watches as he rolls out of bed, wiggling his arse in Louis direction as he leaves the room. He’s not gone long, throwing a cloth in Louis general direction, he should thank him because he isn’t even sure he would have gone and got it! 

“I am not!!! You’re like a good inch bigger than me!!” 

“Stop pointing at it please, its rude!! It’s not that big, you are being an idiot! Now come here and cuddle!” Harry says, making grabby hands in his direction 

“Fine, but you have to agree it’s big first otherwise you can cuddle yourself!” Louis tells him

“If I tell you it’s the biggest I’ve ever seen will you let me be the little spoon?” He asks 

“As if I’d have you be anything else!” 

“It’s honestly the biggest cock in the world Lou, I’m not sure how I’m going to get it in!” He says as the both burst into another fit of laugher. 

He rolls onto his side, pulling Harry closer, one arm under his head and the other draped over his middle, pulling him even closer.

He kisses him once on the shoulder and he shouldn’t be able to, but he can sense him smile into the dark. His heart swoops in his chest and he isn’t sure what he’s supposed to do, so he just closes his eyes as he grins against his husbands back.

+++

The first thing he felt was warm, a little too warm, he wanted to throw his covers off him and open a window. The second thing he feels is Louis draped over his chest. He can't help the smile that spreads across his face, he can deal with the heat if it means Louis doesn’t have to move. He closes his eyes, smile still on his face as he drifts back off to sleep, he feels weightless and floaty as his mind takes him to a place that feels like home. 

   
“Fuck!!” 

He sits up in bed like a shot, one eye open, one eye closed

“What happened?” He asks, Louis stood at the end of the bed, two cups in his hands 

“Kicked the fucking bedpost!” He says wincing, his hair is pushed back up off his face and into a million different positions and he is wearing Harry’s shirt. He tries to not let his heart swell to four times the size.

“What did you do that for?” He asks sarcastically Louis scowls at him, Harry just pats the spot next to him “That for me?” He points to the cup

“It was, that was until you were a dick!” Louis tells him sipping his own brew with a grin on his face.

Harry didn’t know how this was going to go, how any of it was going to go. He signed up wanting something but not really knowing what it was. He hadn't expected this. He hadn't expected to feel like this, warm and happy, content and giddy. 

As much as he hated waiting to be with Louis like he had been the night before, he was also fine with waiting. He wanted Louis to feel comfortable because he wanted this to work, wanted this marriage to work. No matter how strange it may seem to people on the outside.

He looks at him now, sleepy and soft. He thinks about how he has fit into his life. How their stuff sits alongside each other in a way that makes Harry feel like it always has. He wonders what would have happened if he had met Louis any other way, like in a pub or a bar? Would they have gotten on? Would they talk or swap numbers? Is this destiny? Would they have met either way? 

   
“You're awfully quiet,” Louis says as he slides lower into the bed next to Harry “What you thinking about?”

“You, actually,” He laughs 

“Oh yeah? What about me?” His voice is low and soft and he realises this is the first time they have actually lay in bed together when they're not planning on sleeping, it's nice. Its normal.

“Just how weird you are really,” He grins as he shrugs and Louis pinches his side “Ow! Ok, ok, stop!” He says pulling himself away from his touch “I was just wondering if we would have met any other way if things would have been different,” He admits 

“They definitely would have been!” Louis tells him right away without even a second thought 

   
“what makes you say that?”

“I would have met you in a bar and taken you home that night, like I cannot see any situation where I don’t meet you and take you home with me and have my wicked way with you!” Louis laughs and Harry wants to add  _Unless you're marrying me?_   He doesn’t. He just smiles 

   
“Am I your type? Like normally, am I the sort of guy you go for?” He asks 

“I can't answer that!” Louis scoffs sitting up    
   
“And why not? You're my type! Exactly my type actually! Come onnnn, tell me!” He whines

“You’re my type, you're literally everything I like and as it turns out, everything I didn’t know I liked. Happy? Now you can get a big head and I'll just be here embarrassed!” Louis says with a pout

“What do you mean?” Harry presses a little further, turning on his side to face Louis

Louis stares at him for a moment, like he’s contemplating not telling him, but then he sighs and Harry knows now that’s his tell. He looks at Harry for a moment or two before sighing and giving in. He wonders how often he will see that face, how often Louis will give in and give him what he wants, he will definitely be testing that out at some point!

“Like you're tall, dark and handsome! That’s pretty much my standard right? I like a nice smile and nice eyes and you have both of those ticked, you always smell good, dress very fucking well, good sense of humour, sweet, caring,” He is looking at Harry again, it's different this time, he feels like it's more “But then there is so much to you that I've never had and I never knew I wanted!” 

   
“like what?” His voice is so quiet he barely hears it himself

   
“Like you cook, I know that might sound stupid but you cook and take care of me even though you have known me how long? Never knew I needed that. That’s just you, I can tell that. You tell awful jokes that with anyone else I would literally slate them for, I can't with you. You have long hair and I never thought I liked long hair but on you... it’s like my favourite! You have such nice hands, any time you would touch me, even like just on the shoulder i thought I was going to explode! You let me have my way when it comes to films and stuff and it's like...”

He stops again and Harry wants to ask him to never stop talking, the blush that has spread to his cheeks has to be full blown bright red right now. 

“Your voice is soft and sweet, you pronounce words so perfectly sometimes and I don’t know why but I love it! Like sometimes I just miss out a few buttons on my shirt because I need you to tell me I need to do my buttons up just so I can hear you say the word  _button_ , you’ve been brought up well, you have manners, you're just... you're you. There is nobody else in the world like you, I would bet my life on that. You're gorgeous, but you're so much more than that and it took me like three hours to realise I was fucked!” He laughs like he is making a joke, like he hasn't just said the sweetest thing that he has ever heard. 

If people ever ask him when he knew that Louis Tomlinson was the most amazing person in the world, he would probably pick this moment. 

   
“You're blushing,” Louis tells him, his hand soft against his cheek

“You made me blush!” Harry tells him as he moves a little closer, brushing the hair off Harry’s face and letting his finger linger a moment or two on his face and Harry is sure he’s seen this scene in a film. Some shit Rom-Com. He knows that Louis will move a little closer, his heartbeat will pick up as their lips touch and somewhere soft music will start playing.

   
It doesn’t stop it being the best moment of his life.

“For what it's worth,” Harry whispers between kisses “I love taking care of you, looking after you, never knew that’s what I wanted or what I was good at but you make it easy. You're make me want to!”

“In like a housewife type way? Am I going to come home one day and you're going to be in a French maid's outfit because I'm not totally against that!” Louis says with a smirk

“No!” Harry says with a roll of his eyes “Not like that, like... ok this is going to sound stupid!” He laughs 

“As stupid as me telling you I like the way you say button?” Louis asks

   
“No, nothing is as stupid as that,” He smirks and Louis pouts and god. He is losing his shit right now “No, it's just, you smile! Like if I cook for you or I don’t know, I see that they have that cheese that you like when I go shopping, you smile and it's like... It means something? I don’t know, you just smile when I do things and you have the best smile I think I have ever seen and I sort of want to be the person who makes you smile! Say smile more, Harry!” He mumbles and He is sure he is blushing again, but this time so is Louis 

“It’s because you remember! Like you remember how I take my tea, or how I prefer red wine over white and rose over either of them! You know what my favourite cheese is because you have asked, you’ve wanted to get to know me and you don’t just ask me for the sake of it, you remember! You know something? You left your laptop open the other day when you went for a shower,” There is a moment of sheer panic that runs through him. He  _knows_ there isn't anything on his laptop worth worrying about, somehow his heart doesn’t know that. 

“And after I got over the mountains of porn,” He says with a nudge, “I saw that you have the Doncaster home page up. It confused me for the longest time and instead of just asking you about it I pretended I hadn't seen it and casually dropped Johnny Marquis into conversation over tea and you knew who he was, you had been looking them up hadn't you?” Harry somehow thinks it would have been better if Louis  _had_ of found porn

“Well I felt a dick because you had been talking to Calvin about them and I just... like I'm not bad with Premier League teams, I keep track enough to know what's going on and I just thought... is it creepy?” He asks 

   
“Are you fucking kidding?” Louis asks with a grin “You learnt about my local club because you knew I love them, I follow them. You wanted to at least be a part of that conversation and I'm pretty sure that's the nicest thing that anyone has ever done for me!” 

“Well I’m glad,” He kisses him once but Louis pulls back, his face is a little... he doesn’t know 

   
“You know that this is going to get rough right? I mean I never even asked you if you were ok with this, with my mum, like things are going to get --”

“I’m here for it all! Even if ‘all’ just means me making sure we have the cheese and wine in that you like!” Harry tells him and he means it. He can't even begin to imagine what it is that Louis is going through or feeling or what he has to come, but he will be there for it all. 

 


End file.
